In the Shade
by LaneIA
Summary: Companion piece to First Time. What led up to the events that sent Brian to town?


Author's note: This is the companion piece to First Time. I'm guessing that the guys didn't know how to talk to another in those early years. Problems would be glossed over and things would be left unsaid. I'm actually working on a longer story, but I owe it to my Flashpoint Fic to finish that first. Thanks for those reviews and I hope you enjoy this extra look.

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(Sunday morning)

He knew his brother hadn't come home when he came down the stairs just before sunrise and saw his baby brother sleeping alone on the sofa bed. It really didn't come as much of a surprise after the way Brian had taken off last evening. Hell, the way things had been going, even he felt like running away. But he didn't, because he never ran; ever.

_**7B7B 7B7B 7B7B**_

(Early the previous evening)

The last several weeks had been hard. Besides the normal work of taking care of the younger boys and the household chores there was the continual ranch work. The straw that broke the camel's back was when fence that had needed fixing finally gave out and 20 steers had strayed from the ranch. Adam had left Crane at home with the two youngest and had taken the others out to find cattle and fix fence.

Finding the cattle had been the first priority. With the ranch barely hanging on financially, the loss of even one steer could make a difference. It was that kind of responsibility that made Adam tense and a tense Adam was a volatile Adam.

They had found the first five when Daniel did something dumb. Hell, he really couldn't even remember what it was now, but he had lost his temper. The words he flung at his eleven year old brother made him cringe as he reflected on them. He wasn't mad at Daniel, he was mad at the whole situation.

Brian like normal rode right into the middle of it and tried to calm down the situation. But Adam wasn't ready to back down. He proceeded to yell at Brian about how fence maintenance was his responsibility and by not getting it done, this problem was all on his shoulders.

Nodding his head, Brian agreed and turned his horse. He rode back over to Daniel and calmed him down. He sent Evan over and then took Daniel off in the other direction to look for the errant cattle.

The next four days were tense as the three tiptoed around their older brother. Even though the cattle were eventually rounded up and the fence fixed, nothing seemed to please Adam. It was when they had finally returned home that the anger that had been brewing inside Adam exploded.

They had ridden in about an hour before supper and were greeted by the other boys. Crane was glad to see Brian and offered to take care of his horse so that Brian could resume the cooking duties. Brian wearily agreed and went up to the house to start the meal.

Looking around the kitchen, Brian could see that Crane hadn't started anything. He opened the pantry to scan the meager offerings. He would need to get groceries again soon. It was damned hard trying to keep the growing boys filled up; seemed like he was forever asking Adam for the checkbook to go shopping.

Grabbing two boxes of spaghetti from the shelf and a jar of sauce, he sat them down on the counter and proceeded to get the water boiling. Opening the jar of sauce he added some chopped onion and not for the first time, wished that they had some of the very beef they raised.

Forty minutes later, the herd trooped in for supper. The boys were loud and rambunctious, not noticing Adam's stormy visage, they continued to joke and laugh around the table.

The bowl of spaghetti reached Adam and he looked at it with distain. "Nice slop."

The others quieted immediately, their eyes going from Adam to Brian; which would explode first. Brian pushed his chair back and stood slowly. "I'm not too hungry tonight. Crane, have someone help you with the dishes." He walked out the door and a few moments later, the truck started up.

The boys quickly looked back down to their plates and started eating. Their surprise at Brian leaving with out rising to the fight had silenced them and no one wanted to draw the ire of their eldest now that Brian had left.

Bedtime seemed to come early for everyone, even Guthrie didn't complain as Crane pulled out the bed from the sofa. "Do you want me to sleep here with you?"

Guthrie shook his head, "No, Brian wouldn't have anywhere to sleep."

Coming in from the outside, Adam over heard the conversation. "I'll sit down here with you until you fall asleep."

"Ok, will you tell Brian to tuck me in again when he comes in?" The young boy slid into the bed and looked expectantly to his brothers.

"Will do buddy." Crane pulled the blanket up to his baby brother's neck and leaned in to kiss his forehead. "Sweet dreams."

"I'm going to dream about when I'm old enough to ride with Adam and Brian to fix fence." He said with a yawn. "We'll catch those damn strays in no time."

"Guthrie! Watch your mouth. A gentleman never swears." Crane reminded him.

"Don't want to be a gentleman. I'm going to be a cowboy like Adam and Brian." Guthrie smiled and closed his eyes.

Crane headed upstairs, turning off the overhead light and leaving Adam with the table lamp on low. The sounds of footsteps on the second floor continued for around twenty minutes before silence descended on the house.

With the quiet, Adam found himself nodding off. Rousing himself at midnight, he knew that Brian wouldn't be home yet. Cursing himself for letting the overwhelming feels of stress get to him, Adam vowed yet again to not take out his frustrations on his brothers. Only seventeen months younger than him, Brian had stepped up to the plate and had taken on almost as much of a responsibility as Adam had.

Sure Brian hadn't really talked a lot about college, but Adam knew that there had been enough interest in Brian's athletic ability that he would have been able to find at least a partial scholarship. But without even talking about it, Brian had shouldered the responsibility of becoming the "mother" to his "father"; and still doing half of the work around the ranch.

Adam left the light burning and headed up the stairs to his bedroom. Tomorrow he would do his best to make it right with his brother. They were in this together and Adam knew that Brian understood how much he was needed and appreciated, even if Adam didn't tell him in so many words.

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(Sunday morning)

He hated the fact that he rarely could sleep in. Even on the weekends, there was something that would need doing and that meant squeezing as much daylight out of the day as possible.

When he made it downstairs, the light was still on. Walking over to the lamp he switched it off and went into the kitchen to make some coffee. The stab of worry that had greeted him upon seeing the empty spot on the sofa, diminished as he realized that he would have received a call or a visit if something had happened.

Four months ago, one of the town cops had brought Brian home. He had been to town and had gotten drunk. Instead of driving home, he had decided to try sleeping in the truck. Luckily, the cop was sympathetic to the boy's plight and let him off with a warning. Next time, they wouldn't be able to count on being that lucky. Obviously he had found a place to sleep last night. Probably someone from the bar had let him crash on their couch.

The sun was up now and the sound of a vehicle coming down the lane brought Adam to his feet. He was angry that Brian had caused him to worry, but the fact that Adam was the cause of Brian's leaving; Adam didn't know who he should be mad at. He decided he would let it drop, like they usually did when they argued. He opened the screen door and walked out to the porch.

Brian exited the truck and looked up to see Adam standing there. They looked at each other for a minute, each trying to size up the other. Adam finally broke the gaze and turned to go into the house.

Another cup of coffee and he would get started on chores. They needed to talk, but right now wasn't going to be the right time or place. Besides, Adam rationalized, Brian knew how he felt.


End file.
